England coach gets in the Soho Square routine

Steve McClaren has promised to make changes to the England team to "freshen things up" after the World Cup. The head coach reported for his first day in his new job yesterday and insisted he would run things differently from his predecessor, Sven-Goran Eriksson.

He met his new colleagues at the Football Association, including the chief executive Brian Barwick and chairman Geoff Thompson. Barwick wants McClaren's remit to extend beyond the England senior team but the coach knows where his immediate priorities lie, with a friendly against Greece only two weeks away.

"The priority is the England team and working with the players and the squad to prepare for the friendly against Greece and, looking further ahead, to the European Championships," McClaren said. "Looking to the future, I will look to make a few changes and freshen a few things up."

McClaren was Eriksson's coach at the World Cup and has developed his own ideas about where the team must improve if they are finally to challenge for major international honours. He will take a European trip this weekend to watch Manchester United and Tottenham in pre-season action as he makes plans for his first squad, which will be named at the end of next week.

"You have to assess the players first of all," he said, "and to have a good relationship with the clubs, so we will be speaking to their management, coaching staff and medical staff. The aim is to try to bring the whole nation closer together, to bring the England team closer to the clubs and the fans.

"The fans, as we've seen, are fantastic and we have to build a team that can achieve something and give the fans something to be proud of."

McClaren, 45, accepted the England job at the start of May and signed a four-year contract before taking charge of Middlesbrough for the last time, in the Uefa Cup final, and then working under Eriksson in Germany. He was on the touchline as England lost on penalties to Portugal in the quarter-finals.

He took a two-week break in Mauritius to recharge his batteries but admits he grew impatient because of the prospect of sinking his teeth into the England job. He left his North Yorkshire home and flew to London from Teesside Airport for his first day at his new office. He was introduced to the FA staff over lunch.

"It really hit home when I was appointed, at that press conference, but the period since then has been a bit of a vacuum," he said. "I've been itching to get at the job and I'm delighted that period is over now. I'm very excited to actually get started. It is a great challenge and great adventure. It will be totally different from Sven and his five years. I'm going to do it my own way. I will be judged on what I do and I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Barwick, who interrupted his holiday to greet his new manager at Soho Square, said: "It's very exciting. It's a new chapter and a new era. The England team has huge support and a huge following, and now it's a huge opportunity." Thompson added: "A new first-team coach is very important, not only for the FA but for football in this country. I have no doubt he will stamp his own mark on the position."